Gamer
by Litsztomania
Summary: "You love video games, don't you? More than showering or eating or spending time with your gorgeous boyfriend. So that's what I'll give you: a video game. It's called MAGNUS and it starts right now."
1. Gamer

**Gamer**

_by Litztomania_

Magnus was not happy.

As a person who was generally in good spirits, the term 'not happy' was seldom applied to Magnus. No matter how grave the situation he always seemed to find some sort of spark to lighten the mood. Of course, it was usually tragedy that wanted to rain on the warlock's parade. Wars and murder and hopeless longing... He'd been there, done that, and gritted his teeth through the worst of it. This, however, was different. This was not tragedy - this was rage.

He leaned against his kitchen counter, listening to the dial tone echo through the empty flat. Usually he abused the speaker phone function because of his love of multitasking. Now he used it because he didn't trust himself not to crack his phone into a million little pieces once his stupid boyfriend's voicemail flicked on. "This is Alec Lightwood's phone. Either I'm busy or Magnus put my ringer to silent again. If it's the first, I'll call you back later. If it's the second, I'll call you back much later."

BEEP.

"It's Tuesday. We had a date three hours ago. Don't try to make excuses. I know where you are and you're going to pay dearly, my dear boy."

_o-O-o_

Alec registered that his phone was ringing, but couldn't be bothered to look for it. Chances were that it was Magnus calling to complain about them not spending enough time together or something of the like. It wasn't that big of a deal, though. Magnus always forgave him. All he had to do was buy some flowers and brush his hair and all would be kosher between the two of them. Besides, Magnus would understand what was taking up all of Alec's time if he'd just given it a try.

"Hey hey hey!" shouted Jace. "Quit grabbing me!"

Alec was flung backwards into a spray of lava. His button eyes turned to little X's and he was knocked out of existence, reappearing a little ahead of Jace. "I didn't grab you," Alec said dully, his eyebrows furrowed. "Stop that. I need to get the cupcakes." Jace ran out in front of Alec just as he deployed his grappling hook. It wrapped around Jace's torso and held him in place as a giant frosting monster sprayed them with toxic cake icing. The last of their lives ran out at the same time and everything went dark.

"NO!" Jace screamed and threw his controller at the screen. It bounced off the little TV hidden in the corner of Alec's bedroom and clunked to the floor.

"Hey, that was expensive," Alec complained as he fought the urge to do the same. "Don't break it."

Jace slowly turned to glare at Alec. "You," he said, "are nothing but a crutch."

Alec looked down at his knees before he expertly flicked his thumbs over the controller and restarted the game. "One more time," he said. "Then I'll call Magnus back."

"You haven't called him yet?" Jace gasped.

They both grabbed cupcakes and started over once again, Alec frowning. "I meant to... I've just been busy."

"We haven't gone hunting in three days," Jace noted. "I thought you'd be over at lover boy's."

"Focus on the game," was all Alec said.

He didn't want to talk about Magnus. It made him feel guilty in a way he didn't even understand. Alec wanted to call him back, he really did. But something about the video games had him all wrapped up. There was a tidy stack next to the little TV, all the ones he'd finished marked with a piece of masking tape. Besides, it was Magnus who'd bought him the Playstation to begin with. The warlock had been frustrated over Alec's lack of imagination. It was impossible for Alec to understand the appeal of fantasy movies and books. He was a hands-on kind of person. If he couldn't feel the experience, it didn't classify as an experience. Video games were different. He controlled the character. He had straight-forward goals and had to work to achieve them. The best part was that death was a non-issue. If his character bit the big one he just started over again, all the wiser from his previous experience.

Why couldn't real life be like that?

The alarm on Jace's phone went off and he paused the game. "And that's my time," he said, standing up. "I've got a hot date with Clary." He waggled his eyebrows, but Alec was already a thousand miles away. Player Two had left the game and he was on his own, continuing to the end of the level. Jace frowned at his brother. "Alec, are you alright?"

Alec nodded without tearing his glassy eyes from the screen. "Yeah, yeah. Go. Have fun."

Jace opened his mouth to say something and then shook it away. Alec was a big boy. He could take care of himself. "See you later," he mumbled and slipped out into the hallway.

The sun set outside Alec's window, but he barely noticed it. The longer he played Little Big Planet 2, the easier it got. Time slipped away and reality went with it. The ringing of his phone burst in periodically and then subsided. The Institute fell completely silent, all of its occupants out and about, interacting with the real world. Finally nature managed to pry the Shadowhunter off the floor. His legs asleep and eyes blurry, Alec stumbled into his bathroom and peed with the lights off. He rushed back to the video game, his hands dripping wet, when he finally noticed the orange flashing screen.

_You have SEVEN missed phone calls._

"Uh oh," Alec mumbled.

He opened his messages and put the phone up to his ear. His eyes went wide. Tuesday. It was Tuesday. Magnus had insisted on them going to some sort of garden thing. He'd said it was important - _vital_ - for them to go. And what had Alec done? He'd spent the night playing video games, alone. He'd squandered precious hours that could have been spent with his magnificent boyfriend. Alec flipped through to Magnus's number and sat down on the edge of his bed.

It went straight to voicemail.

"Hello, fabulous clients! I'm busy right now, but I'll get back to you as soon as possible!" Alec waited for the beep, but it didn't come. Instead all of the cheer drained from Magnus's voice. "And if this is Alec, don't bother sucking up. Mene mene tekel upharsin, babe. Hell hath no fury like a Magnus scorned." BEEP. Alec tried to speak, but his phone buzzed and fell out of his hand. He watched the blue lightening slip over the screen and grimaced.

Uh oh.

Magnus wasn't just ticked. He was furious. Alec knew not to underestimate his boyfriend's powers. He was a warlock, not a magician. If he wanted life to be hell for someone he could actually make it happen. Alec bit his lip and stared at his video game. Magnus was already mad, right? It wouldn't matter if he finished his level... No! Alec snapped himself out of it and grabbed the black buckle-covered jacket he'd borrowed from Magnus. Flowers and candy and puppy dog eyes. That would fix the situation.

Alec hopped a subway and stopped off in a 24/7 bodega three blocks from Magnus's place. The only flowers they had were limp and ugly, but it was the thought that counted, right? He grabbed a comb while he was at it and ran it through his hair on the walk over. It was windy, so his hair kept scattering all over the place and his baggy jeans were flapping like a flag. All of the windows at Magnus's were dark. That was not a good sign. He knocked on the door and waited. No answer. He pressed the buzzer.

Zip.

Finally he took out his key and let himself in, creeping up the rickety stairs and then knocked. There was no sign of life on the other side of the door. Alec sighed and opened it. Just as he thought, the air inside was stagnant. Magnus probably hadn't been home for hours. Chairman Meow was curled up on the couch and Magnus's keys were missing from the bowl beside the door. Alec pulled his shoes off and shoved them in the closet, then padded into Magnus's bedroom. The sheets were all messed up, but only one of the bed stand's showed recent use. Alec felt guilty again. He should have come over days earlier. Stupid video games.

Alec sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at his wilted flowers. Hours passed and slowly Alec found his head getting closer and closer to the mattress. His eyes were so heavy... Magnus wasn't exactly the quietest and Alec could shake off sleep with extreme speed. It would be alright if he closed his eyes for just a moment...

_o-O-o_

Magnus waited until Alec's breathing was even and slow before he slid out of the closet. He hopped up onto the bed and stared at Alec with detached interest. Of course his boyfriend didn't notice him. He wasn't exactly himself at that moment. Chairman Meow crept into the bedroom and spotted the black and gold cat with the familiar wide, green-gold eyes hovering over Alec and then darted back out. It wasn't often that Magnus glamoured himself into Cathood, but it was difficult to be stealthy when you were nearly seven feet tall.

He slowly morphed back into himself, resting gently on the mattress. Alec didn't even flinch.

His eyes burning, he traced his fingers over Alec's face, smiling sadly at the pitiful flowers littering his lap. "Oh, Alec," he whispered. "I almost don't want to do this."

Almost.

Magnus chuckled to himself and took a hold of Alec's temples. His eyes rolled back in his head as the circle etched lightly in pink chalk underneath the bed flared to life. Alec's eyes flew open and he took in Magnus for a fleeting moment. "No fury..." he mumbled drunkenly before his head slammed back against the bed and his back arched. Magnus gritted his teeth and slumped forward moments later.

To anyone else it would appear they were both asleep, Magnus gently resting his hands on Alec's face. Of course the inside of Magnus and Alec's heads would state otherwise. Dream magic. It was a tricky skill, and one that Magnus had mastered a long, long time ago with no real idea of when it would come in handy.

It seemed that Alec was that long awaited occasion.

* * *

><p><em>Oh ho ho! Review and I'll do this one some more. M'Kay? I'm sorry for my prolonged absense. I have two reasons:<em>

_1) I've had way too much work to do at school. _

_2) I've been writing my own stuff because my writers block went away. It's still gone and I'm only doing this because it's fun. Updates will be slow, though. Just so you know._

_-Cara  
><em>


	2. The Beast Below

_I hope this chapter isn't as shitty as the last one._

* * *

><p><strong>The Beast Below<br>**

White.

Everything Alec saw was bright, piercing white. He looked down at his hands and saw two shaky dark blurs until his eyes adjusted. Plain white Shadowhunting gear covered his body. Liked everything else in the whiteness, it seemed to be emitting its own light. He swiveled around. There was no ceiling, or walls or ground. No end or beginning to the place he was in. Just white. The whole ideamade his head spin and his eyes hurt. Alec shut them and dug his palms in. It did nothing.

Was he dreaming? It didn't feel like it. Normally when he was asleep everything felt distanced and slow. A copy of a copy of a copy.

"Hello, gorgeous," a familiar voice cooed.

Alec snapped his eyes open. Magnus was in front of him, wearing a plain white t-shirt and white jeans. His hair looked like it had been attacked by egg beater and he had silver make up caked around his glowing eyes. "Magnus," Alec said distractedly, twisting around. "Where are we? What is this?"

The warlock grinned, slow and evil. "This? This is the inside of my head."

"It seems really... empty," Alec said.

Magnus crossed his arms and huffed. "Oh, no. That's fine. Insult me. It's not like I'm already pissed at you or anything."

"No, I didn't mean - "

He held up a hand and shook his head. "Shhh, no talking." Alec opened his mouth to disobey and the warlock flickered, disappearing from his spot ten feet away and reappearing in front of Alec. Their mouths crashed together and Alec stumbled backwards. He hit a wall that may or may not have existed and closed his eyes. It wasn't a dream, he decided. Magnus felt the way he always did - warm and soft and tall. He even smelled the same, like cinnamon and burnt matches. His lips quirked up at the corners. Magnus forgave him. How wonderful.

The warlock pulled away slowly, his eyes glowing. "Remember that kiss," he murmured. "You're going to live eight-hundred years without another one."

"WHAT?"

Magnus smirked, his eyes going cold. "Metaphorically speaking, of course." He stepped backwards and did a slow spin. The walls of the room lit up. Squares of images flashed to life like dozens of TV screens. Different times and places and people, only connected by Magnus's eyes. Alec tried to look at all of the different versions of his boyfriend. There was something timeless about him. No matter how many years passed he seemed to keep the essentials. The out of place hair, towering body, and quick eyes. The flashy jewelery and tight clothes. The sideways little smile that said so much more than anything he could ever put into words.

Alec was awestruck. He looked back to the present Magnus, his Magnus. The same man stood there. They were all Alec's, no matter the year. "Magnus..." he started.

Magnus clapped like rolling thunder and all of the screens smashed to the floor, creating crystal sand that sprayed across Alec's ankles. "You love video games, don't you? More than showering or eating or spending time with your gorgeous boyfriend?" He brushed his hands down his torso like he was shaking off dust, his expression smug and sad at the same time. "So that's what I'll give you: a  
>video game." He made a flicking motion with his wrist and the crystal sand swept up into a giant tornado. It swirled around Alec. His ankles and calves, past his waist and to his chest. He struggled to see Magnus, his voice catching in the tinkling cacophony of the crystal. "It's called MAGNUS," the warlock boomed, "and it starts right now."<p>

The crystal suddenly lifted Alec from the floor and dumped him upside down. He was rolling through empty whiteness, controlling his spinning the way he'd learned how. Magnus's voice echoed in his ears as he fell.

"Hell hath no fury," he murmured. "_No fury, no fury, no fury_..."

o-O-o

Alec landed on his feet, hunched over. Wherever he was it was dark and humid. Sweat immediately began beading on his forehead and the nape of his neck. He swept around in a wide arc, but couldn't really make anything out. Light shattered down from floorboards and everything smelled like heat, hay and horse poop. For a moment Alec paused and considered the idea of everything being a strange dream before he remembered who was behind it all.

A living video game. That sounded right up Magnus's alley.

He tried standing up and bumped his head on the very hard, very real wooden slats. Where was he?

Alec's skin began to tingle sharply and he looked down. Blue lightning trailed through his fingers harmlessly, providing minimal light. It was enough for him to make out words scratched into the hardened clay in front of him. They were written in what was most likely Indonesian, scratched messily as though by a child. Alec distantly recalled Magnus once telling him that he couldn't read or write until he was seventeen, but he memorized certain words that he saw all of the time. As Alec watched, the letters reformed themselves until THE BEAST BELOW was scrawled out in front of him.

"They called me Beast." Magnus's voice was without a body. "I didn't have the happiest childhood, so I spent most of my time hiding from the world in the foundation of my family's barn. It was cozy... except for the spiders."

Spiders. Oh hell no.

"Magnus," Alec warned, circling around again. He could hear the clicking and the scuttling of the spiders already. "Magnus, you know how I feel about spiders..."

Wherever Magnus was hiding, he wasn't listening. "Use your magic to fight the little beasts off. And watch out - they have a nasty bite."

The scuttling grew louder and Alec's eyes widened to the size of baseballs. "MAGNUS!" he screamed. Something hissed softly behind him and his heart came to a thudding halt. Hot breath washed over his neck and ruffled his hair. "M-Magnus?" He slowly rotated, praying that the warlock would be standing there, grinning at how good he'd gotten Alec. Instead he was face to face with the biggest, ugliest creature he'd ever seen in his life.

The Shadowhunter's method of abolishing fear was to face it head on over and over again until the thing that scared you lost all control. That was why Alec had spent a good chunk of his childhood reading and retaining information about spiders. It was also why he was able to instantly recognize his new friend as an Indonesian Lynx spider. It had the hexagonal eye spacing and long barbed legs, shiny and black and terrible. The spider was the size of a Shetland Pony and dripping from the fangs - and it wasn't alone. There were at least ten more spiders surrounding him, just as big and just as hungry.

Alec amazed himself by not freezing up. He recalled how to use Magnus's magic from the Mortal War and threw his hands out. Light blasted from his palms and tossed the beast backwards. It knocked into two other spiders before turning to that strange crystal sand from before. Alec realized with a noise of distress that it was glitter. The bloody thing had turned to body glitter. For the love of God, Magnus. What was wrong with that man?

Something heavy tossed Alec forward. He caught himself on the dirt floor with his hands and rolled over, shooting more lightning at the spider that had attacked him. It exploded in a cloud of glitter as well, raining down thickly. So thickly, in fact, that Alec couldn't see the third spider until it was on top of him. He shrieked like a little girl and tried to flatten into the floor. The spider took a dive for his chest and his whole body shook and shuddered like a vibrating controller. There was no way he was going to die on the first level. He was a gamer and a Shadowhunter! How shameful would that be? Alec grabbed hold of that thought and let the heat come to his palms. He slammed them into the disgusting creature's face. It turned to glitter and swirled away. Alec jumped to his feet, whacking his head solidly on the floorboards again. Swear words poured out of his mouth and he used the anger to let the flares grow. Twin streams of lightning flew from his hands and swept across the remainder of the spiders.

Silence fell.

Alec was breathing hard, glitter clinging to his sweaty skin. The rest of the glitter floating through the air settled and then sunk into the ground. Slowly, green torches began to light themselves all throughout the foundation. The writing on the wall was writhing like a coil of snakes, reforming until it said LEVEL ONE: COMPLETE and then listed various stats on Alec's killing technique, magic use, and sexiness. He shook his head when the figures on his use of glitter came up. The wall cleared off and Alec began looking around for his next task. There seemed to be no way in or out of the foundation. It was sealed off and abandoned. Above Alec's head, the barn groaned and the cow's mooed.

"_Halo cantik_," cracked a young voice.

Alec squinted into the darkness and stepped forward until a boy came into focus. He couldn't have been older than thirteen, malnourished and wearing rags. His arms and legs were filthy and his face was covered with his stringy hair. There was something familiar about the kneeling figure. Realization hit him a moment before the boy looked up, his cat eyes gleaming. The face was young and dirty, but still beautiful and clever.

"Magnus?" Alec asked, though he already knew.

The boy smirked. "_Satu-satunya_," he said, and then lifted his arms. Lean muscles strained under his sallow skin as he pried one of the floorboards up and then crawled backwards, motioning for Alec to go through.

"I'm sorry," Alec began again. "I wasn't trying to ignore you. I just wanted to - "

"_Saya tidak bisa bicara bahasa Inggris_," Magnus crackled quickly. Alec fought the urge to laugh at his young roller-coaster voice. "_Kembalilah pada abad kelima belas dan kami akan bicara_."

Alec crept forward and rested his hands on the floor outside the opening. He hesitated, not wanting to leave Magnus in the creepy spider-filled foundation. "I'll consider that as your way of not accepting my apology."

Magnus said nothing. He just pointed upwards, eyes blank. Alec sighed and looked into the darkness. Whatever was up there it sure as hell wasn't a barn. He reached out a hand and touched the young boy's grubby face. Magnus jerked backwards, eyes a little wild. Something had changed. Alec got the strong sense that this was the real young Magnus - terrified and abandoned, hiding himself away in dark places. But there was nothing he could do. This was a memory, a projection by the current Magnus as a part of his revenge.

But even in that young, almost unrecognizable state, Alec still knew that that Magnus was his Magnus. It was the way the warlock jumped during a thunderstorm and the look in his eyes when he heard a bump in the night. Unnecessary and primal, but ever present.

If he was trying to make Alec feel like shit, it was definitely working. He frowned to himself and lifted himself up into the darkness, not wanting to think about the boy in the below anymore.

* * *

><p><em>My Indonesian is rusty, so here's what I was trying to make Magnus say:<em>

_1) "Hello gorgeous."_

_2) "The one and only."_

_3) "I don't speak English" and then "Come back during the fifteenth century and we'll talk."_

_Also, Google Indonesian Lynx spiders. Fucking UGH. Nightmares for the rest of my days.  
><em>

_-Cara  
><em>


	3. Lovers Quarrel

**Lovers Quarrel**

Alec was in a tunnel.

The walls were made of silk and tangled with random artifacts. Candelabra's and chipped porcelain masks, flickering witchlight stones and jeweled daggers. Heavy books and the odd Jimmy Choo boot. There were holes in the silk that peered out into flickering realms. Alec tried to stop and look at them but some sort of wind was pushing him forward, making him crawl through the years of Magnus's life. He caught glimpses of Magnus in different time periods. In the Bone City, carving his name in the back of a door. Wearing a kimono in some sort of temple. Sleeping in an ancient alleyway, using a bottle as a pillow.

Alec looked forward and saw that the end of the tunnel was the bright white from before. He hurried toward it, hoping that he would find himself back with Magnus. The white consumed him and then slowly drained away until he was on his hands and knees in a stone room. The carpet he was kneeling on was thick, coarse, and ornate. He quickly got to his feet and looked around. There was a four poster bed, a washing station, a huge desk, and a wide window. Warm summer air and moonlight drifted into the room, bringing the scent of the sea. Alec cautiously took a look around. On the surface it looked like your average 15th century bed chamber. The wardrobe was filled with huge flowing dresses.

But something wasn't right. The air tasted wrong and familiar.

Alec picked up a carved bone dagger from the table and inspected one of the giant tapestries adorning the walls. It depicted a beautiful lady with piled black hair devouring a young man, her eyes glowing red, while several pale gray bystanders bowed their heads. The two other tapestries showed similar scenes, only with the man naked.

"I used to have a big thing for vampires," Magnus's voice explained. "And then Mistress Helena had to go and mess up the allure by kidnapping me." The heavy wooden doors began to creak and Alec flipped around to face them. "Little did she know, I was already in enough romantic peril at the time."

Alec hid the knife in his sleeve and backed up so he was against the wall. The doors cracked open and a shadow slid inside. The figure froze there and Alec tried to make out its features in the pitch dark. All was still for a moment and then the shadow stepped into the moonlight. It was a man, no older than twenty-five, with long blonde hair and dark green eyes. "Magnus," he said.

_Huh?_ Alec looked down at himself. He was still Alec, with his runes and scars and pale skin. Apparently Sir Lancelot didn't know that, so he just nodded. "There's a vampire coming. We have to kill it."

"My love, I hath come to rescue thee," the man said, blatantly ignoring what Alec said. He sounded like a bad Shakespearean actor with his thick lisp. "No beast shall befoul my dearest." He came charging at Alec, arms outstretched, and crashed into the wall behind him. Alec had tuck and rolled out of the way, incredulous. "Magnus? Where hath thee gone? Ah!"

Alec felt arms clamp around his waist and drag him to his feet. His Shadowhunting shirt was pulled upwards, which must have taken some lightning quick Herculean strength. A cold hand slid up his chest and over his shoulders, pulling his top completely off. Alec cried out and dropped to the floor, dead-weight. The man let go of him and he managed to scramble away, grabbing one of the huge, heavy pillows on his way across to cover his torso.

"You," Alec said shakily. "You, stay away."

The man looked genuinely hurt. "Love, what hast the beast done with thine heart? It is I: Petrus!"

_Petrus_. Magnus had mentioned Petrus once. All he'd said was that his first boyfriend had been clingy - he hadn't mentioned the creepy-rape-y-maul-y part. The boy was gorgeous, but there was something disturbingly desperate and possessive about the way he was staring at Alec. When he didn't say anything, Petrus's expression changed. His arms dropped to his sides and his gaze lost it's glow.

"I hath set thee with the crown of love, and thee turn away?" he growled. "If Petrus cannot have Magnus, no one can."

Oh shit.

Blue lightning exploded from Petrus's hands and Alec narrowly dodged it, bumping into the desk with the force of the blast. The bed was burning bright blue, the heat of it escaping out the huge window. Petrus was hovering over him, his open mouth showing huge lion's fangs. Ah. So that explained the speech impediment. His hands were blurred with charging magic, but his eyes were torn. Alec looked down and saw he was still cradling the pillow. The dagger was just out of his grip. He slid forward, the carpet giving his ribs wicked rug-burn, and grabbed it. Petrus noticed he had the knife a moment too late. Alec slashed the pillow and threw four big handfuls of feathers in his face.

Petrus staggered back, surprised and blinded. Alec took his chance and hopped up onto his feet, not sparing a moment to kick the man in the chest. Petrus flew across the room and hit his head against the wall. The moment he fell unconscious, his body disappeared in yet another cloud of glitter. There was a fleeting second when Alec thought the level was over and smiled to himself. That, of course, was when Mistress Helena returned. Cheeks flushed with fresh blood and eyes hungering for more, she took in her destroyed bedchamber and the shirtless boy standing in front of her burning bed, body covered in glitter and hair filled with goose feathers.

Needless to say, she was not impressed.

Alec didn't even see her move. She was a blur of black and white for less than a breath and suddenly she was on top of him. "Ingrate!" she shouted, and suddenly his whole body was vibrating. Alec's blood spattered down his chest and soaked into the carpet. He gasped, though he couldn't feel the pain, and then shut his eyes. The vibrating stopped. Alec peeled one eye open and saw Magnus standing above him, shaking his head. He looked the same as he had in the white room.

"Now come on, Alec! You can't die on the second level. It only gets harder from here." Alec tried to apologize again, but the warlock held up a hand. "Let's back this up a bit." The world was thrown into reverse. Alec was pulled to his feet and Mistress Helena flew back to the doorway. Her consorts hovered like ghosts behind her, blank and tragic. The blood that had spilled all over his chest crawled back into the gash in his throat just before it closed itself up. Magnus grinned at Alec, taking in the glitter and nudity and feathers. "That's a good look for you."

"Oh, shut up."

Magnus winked and then snapped out of existence. No glitter, no swirling winds. One second he was there and the next he was gone, leaving the smell of burnt matches and cinnamon behind. Everything jogged into motion slowly, like a train building speed. Alec didn't have much more time to think than he had before, but he knew what he had to do the second go. Mistress Helena came at him and he lifted his left hand, fingers splayed. A short burst of magic shocked through her. She didn't stop, but she slowed down just enough that Alec had time to stab her in the heart before she bit him.

The dagger sliced deep. Alec watched her mouth pop open into a perfect 'O', the red light in her eyes fading to pale blue. Mistress Helena was nothing in the future but a page in a book. He'd never really put much thought into what she would have actually looked like. Her skin was milk pale and cold, her eyes huge and her lips stained red with blood. She had horrible teeth and wore a black and gold gown that was cut so low Alec could almost see her lady bits. Fearsome vampire, killed thousands of men, ran the largest coven in history, was killed by the warlock Magnus Bane in the 15th century. He had actually been there. He had actually watched her die. This wasn't a simulation - this was a memory. Alec couldn't help but feel his skin crawl.

She imploded into glitter that was caught in an invisible wind. The wind extinguished the burning bed and the glitter caught on the scorch marks on the wall. They spelled out Alec's stats. He'd earned 100 points for looking silly and sexy simultaneously.

The door creaked behind Alec and he turned around. A different Magnus was leaning in the frame, wearing the most ridiculous outfit Alec had ever seen him don. His insanely short black and green houppelande was sliced down to reveal most of his chest and his hose were decorated with little yellow flowers. A giant puffy hat sat on his head with three yellow feathers sticking out of the top. Alec gave him the "Are you kidding me?" look and then shook his head.

"Where to next, ye olde boyfriend?" he asked.

Magnus smiled. "Upwards and onwards," he said in a late medieval English accent. "I spared thee the bore of the Bone City years," his lips quirked up, "You should be thanking me."

"That wasn't in character," Alec said, leaning against the door.

Magnus frowned and pulled a huge fan out of no where. He smacked Alec on the arm with it. "Get out of here, you little rodent."

With a smirk, Alec leaned forward and kissed past Magnus on the nose. The warlock made a face and stared at Alec like he was a stranger. "Abhor thy actions, I do not," he said with glimmering eyes. "Though why thine hath provided this rapturous delight to mineself, I cannot fathom. A quaint face akin to yours should meet mine own more often, methinks."

And Magnus was gone, replaced with a past version of himself. Alec sighed and shook his head before stepping through the door and into the black.

_o-O-o_

Back in Magnus's bedroom, Alec squirmed restlessly and Magnus unknowingly huddled closer to keep his body still. In the living room, Chairman Meow yowled at the annoying screeching of Alec's phone. The voicemail picked up and recorded yet another angry bout of screaming.

**You have THREE missed calls from ISABELLE LIGHTWOOD.**

* * *

><p><em>Two orders of business:<em>

_1) I need a Beta. If you wish to be that Beta, please send me a PM. I'll take anyone who can stand just how terrible my writing is without any editing._

_2) I seriously know nothing about the 15th Century, so this chapter is probably insanely inaccurate._


	4. Where The Heart Is

**Where The Heart Is**

Long before Magnus had showed up on the scene Alec had known only the wrath of Isabelle. She liked to refer to that time as 'the good old days', when her threats reigned supreme. No matter what Alec had done, Isabelle held all the cards. She was physically intimidating, a psychological genius, and had the sweetest innocent face known to man. First went the physical intimidation. After all, she was a Shadowhunter just like Alec. He eventually lost all qualms with hitting a girl. When Magnus came around, Isabelle lost that one altogether. She could kick, punch, hit, and throw as many shurikens at Alec as she wanted. In the end, an angry sexy warlock was worth an elbow to the ribs. Second to go was the psychological upper hand. The more comfortable Alec became with his differences and shortcomings, the less empty blackmail she had. No longer could she threaten to run to their mother and tell her about the picture of Clint Eastwood tapped to the ceiling of Alec's closet.

Technically, Isabelle had nothing, which naturally meant that their bickering had settled an unbelievable amount.

"ALEC LIGHTWOOD!" she screamed, slamming open his bedroom door. It hit the wall so hard the glass knob shattered into a million little pieces. The sickly glow of the TV washed over his filthy bedroom. Laundry piles and stacks of books, speckled with Magnus's things. The bed was unmade and the window was propped open, but Alec was nowhere to be found. "ALEXANDER!"

Isabelle wasn't out of cards yet - she still had her temper. She kicked the bathroom door open and flipped the light on. As always, his counter was a cluttered heap of shaving cream and deodorant and -

Isabelle stopped dead, her worst fears realized. Nestled in between the Oxy pads and rubbing alcohol was a long, thin pin squeeze tube, flattened. Gently, she picked it up and tried to coax something out of the tube. Nothing. Why hadn't she seen the signs? Alec had been complaining about breaking out (most likely due to his new found love of not moving) and how it wasn't fair that Isabelle wore so much makeup yet had such flawless skin. And because she was stupid, Isabelle had chalked her wonderful complexion up to Anthalan - the amazing skincare cream she'd picked up in a shop in Idris when she was thirteen. Her reserves were running low, but you didn't need much. Alec didn't seem to understand that.

No wonder his skin had looked so shiny that morning.

She pulled out her phone and hastily dialed Magnus's number. Those ten digits had nearly cost her life to obtain, and yet they proved useless. Magnus's phone rang and rang and rang until she finally gave up. That settled it. Isabelle grabbed Alec's heavy, beat up coat from beside his bed and threw it over her shoulders before storming out into the night.

Hell hath no fury.

_o-O-o_

Alec was in a forest.

There was a fire burning in the center of some rocks beside him and he was using a boot as a pillow. Even though there was morning dew beading on his hands and face, the skin was dark. All of the trees seemed to be staring down at him, choking out all of the stars. His back was on fire as he sat up, most likely because of the uneven ground he'd been lying on. Magnus's attention to detail was absolutely miserable. The air was frigid, the smoke from the fire made his eyes sting, and he was pretty sure there was a bug on his ankle. Closer inspection proved this to be true and Alec spent a good minute in pure panic, trying to swipe it away. After the bugs in the basement, he was never going to look at insects the same way.

"I FOUND HIM!" someone cried at a distance. Alec whipped around to spot the other person and his sore back all but snapped in two.

Time slowed as Alec fell backwards into the dirt and Magnus's voice curled around him like a well-worn blanket, soft and warm. "Eternity has a tendancy to get boring. You can search for danger, fun, ecstasy, pain - and believe me, you'll find it all - but it all becomes repetitive after a while. I used to think that meant I needed something new. Now I know it means having something you can call home." Time sped up and Alec hit the ground full force, knocking the breath out of his lungs. "Massachusetts, 1692. They ran me out of town and then I took a nap. Oops."

Two dark figures appeared over Alec, their faces lost in shadows. Firelight gleamed on the buckles on their shoes. The leaned down in tandem and pulled Alec to his feet. His poor back screamed in protest, sapping all of his strength. The toes of his heavy army boots dragged uselessly through the underbrush. Every time he tried to dig his toes in to stop himself he ended up crippled with muscle spasms. Magnus's monthly trip to the chiropractor was suddenly making sense.

The forest abruptly ended. They were at the edge of a town. The air smelt like horses and fire, both of which he could see. There were people crowded around a roaring bonfire, all of them shouting and throwing stones. Several women were tied together by their wrists while a man on a horse tugged at the rope binding them all, dragging them towards the fire. The horse neighed loudly and the crowd turned towards it. The stones switched direction and began soaring towards the women. Alec watched in horror as one of them struck a young boy in the face. He fell to the ground and let himself be dragged until one of the crowds people tugged him sloppily back onto their feet.

Alec felt his skin tingle. He looked down and saw that he was no longer shirtless, though he was still covered in glitter. A loose ruffled shirt hung low past his collarbone, paired with a heavy black waistcoat with shiny silver buttons. "I look like a pirate," Alec mumbled. Luckily enough, his Shadowhunting pants remained. There was no way he would forgive Magnus if he was forced to wear tights.

The people tied to the horse reached the top of the hill and stood beside the fire. It seemed that everyone was taking notice of Alec. Slowly, the entire crowd turned to face him. They threw no rocks and shouted no slurs, though half of the crowd crossed themselves, put two fingers to their eyes and then pointed at him, Dracula-style. And then, halfway to the giant fire, someone chucked a stone at Alec's back. It struck him in the worst possible place, right above his tailbone. He swore viciously, doubling over, and everyone in the crowd decided that this was a positive sign. Rocks began flying left and right as the men dragged him to the top of the hill. They stood him up beside the boy, who wasn't nearly as young as Alec assumed - just short. He had a bit of stubble, actually. The rope was looped around his wrists and tugged so tight he thought they were going to bleed.

Alec got a sudden mental image of Magnus standing in that very spot, arms crossed and face bored, chatting lightly with the terrified kid next to him as though they both weren't about to be burned at the stake. Well, when in Rome...

"Hello," Alec said a bit awkwardly. The boy half turned and blinked at him. There was a bruise forming where the rock had hit him. "That looks sore."

"We musn't talk," the boy whispered. "The punishments..."

Alec snorted and his back twinged. "What are they going to do? Burn us?"

The boy seemed agree with him. "I am Isaac."

"Alec."

Isaac was puzzled. "But they said you were - "

"Oh, right. Magnus."

A 'ye olde' man was reading out a long list of charges against the different women while they were tied to the posts. One by one, the line got shorter, until soon enough it was Isaac's turn. He'd been holding up alright, even with his wrists bound and his eye swelling up. But when the shadow faced men cut him loose from Alec, he lost it. They struggled to keep him arms together as he flapped and elbowed and struck out. They eventually pushed him against the post and tied him down. Tears were streaming down his face and catching in the light of the fire that would soon engulf them all.

"NOT A WITCH!" he screamed. "MY CRIME IS LOVE! I AM NOT A WITCH! MICHAEL! MICHAEL, SAVE ME!"

The crowd hissed and searched for more stones to throw. But there was one person who did nothing. Another boy, tall and pretty with curly blonde hair escaping a tightly tied leather thong. His eyes were big and sad, yet somehow empty. Alec had to look away. That must have been Michael. The man reading the charges half turned and Alec met eyes with him for a moment. They were the same blue as the boy in the crowd's. Beneath his hat Alec assumed was wildly curly blonde hair. He watched helplessly as the man stormed up to Isaac and punched him in the mouth. Isaac fell silent and fury boiled in Alec's stomach.

It was time to read Magnus's charges.

"Here is the demon! The devil in the skin of a man, brought here by the worship of these witches! A plague! A pox! Sin incarnate."

"Oh, now that's not fair," Magnus's voice whispered in Alec's ear. "The devil? I like to think of myself as a minor mischief god."

Alec snickered and one of the shadow faced men kicked him. Pain shot down from his lower back through his legs and he fell to his knees. He was dragged backwards and hauled up onto the stake. They tied him down with extra ropes, forcing his back perfectly straight. The man reading the charges set down his leger and grabbed a torch to shove in the bodiless fire. He walked deliberately and slowly to Isaac's stake.

Three things happened at once:

Michael shrieked, "NO!" as he began running up the hill.

The prosecutor's torch caught the wood at Isaac's feet on fire.

With a vicious jerk, one of the shadow faced men finished tying Alec to his stake and, consequentially, snapped his back into place.

Game on.

Alec felt Magnus's power explode. A tremendous gust of wind blew the fire back onto the crowdspeople before causing it to die out. The flame in the center of the accused witches turned the bright blue of Magnus's magic, which was sliding through the ropes binding Alec, snipping them into a million pieces. Alec dropped down into a crouch and then slowly straightened, making sure his back really was better. He laughed once to himself as a hand grabbed his shoulder. The shadow faced man went soaring through the air. Suddenly Alec was hovering over him, his hair wildly knotted and backlighted by the full moon. One kick to the head and he was glitter.

The second shadowfaced man ran for Alec and Alec ran for him. He dropped onto his knees at the last moment and slid past him, grabbed a two by four out of Isaac's woodpile, and took a well aimed swing at the back of the man's kneck. He exploded in a cloud of sparkling dust. The hill was suddenly crowded with men trying to capture Alec, though most of the people were running. Alec pointed his hands at the fire and caused it to jump from the pit and soar through the air, wiping out half of the townspeople trying to kill him.

"Run!" he found himself shouting at the rest of them. The fire was swirling above his upraised arms, choking out the sky. "RUN!" he screamed. And run they did. Horses exploded away from the hill, taking shrieking villagers with them.

Tired, sore, and covered in ash and glitter, Alec staggered up to Isaac's stake. The boy looked horrified. Alec just rolled his eyes and started fumbling with the knots.

CLICK.

Slowly, Alec turned to face the prosecutor. His eyes were wild with hate as he opened his mouth. Whatever he meant to say was cut off when a blade pierced through the front of his Steinkirk. Glitter poured from the wound and he exploded, revealing a younger, sadder version of himself. Michael. The boy pointed the sword at Alec for a moment and then dropped it. "Free the others," he barely whispered. "Let me save Isaac."

Alec stepped out of the way and picked his way over to the stake of the first woman before turning back and watching Michael catch Isaac before he hit the ground. The woman fell limply forward, stood up mechanically, and then turned to glitter. The other women followed suit. The wind caught the piles of sparkling dust and spun them into a cloud before lifting them up into the night. When they air was clear, Alec saw a long, lean figure resting against one of the stakes. There was no denying his identity.

"Ah, there you are, my dear," Magnus said, turning towards him. His face was so unbelieveably gorgeous in the blue light. Alec reached out to touch it, only to have Magnus catch his wrist. Even then, the contact was welcome. "I see," Magnus drawled, "that you have my coat."

Magnus was wearing the same shirt as Alec, as well as buckled shoes and puffy trousers with tights. He somehow managed to pull it off. It wasn't the clothes that made the Magnus, it seemed. It was the Magnus who made the clothes.

"I look like a pirate," Alec noted, tried to wriggle his hand free.

Magnus smiled, his eyes hooded and glinting. "You look much better than a pirate." He easily brought Alec's hand and his own up to Alec's face and brushed his knuckles over his cheekbone. Alec leaned into his hand with a small smile. "Oh yes, I should remember ash, glitter, and 16th century clothing for later." Alec lifted an eyebrow and Magnus said, "Mental snapshot."

He rolled his eyes and Magnus dropped his hand, turning towards Isaac and Michael. For a moment Alec was unsure if his Magnus was still there. His eyes looked so far off and lost, watching the two other boys on the hill kiss like their lives depended on it. It reminded Alec painfully of the way Michael had looked as he'd watched Isaac being dragged to his death. "Magnus?"

Magnus blinked and faced Alec. The look disappeared. "Forever is a really long time," he murmured. "You get bored. You start looking for something more. Something new. This was the moment I figured out what I wanted."

Alec stared at the boys, puzzled. "Shameless, glitter coated make out sessions?"

Magnus snorted hard and laughed hysterically for a moment before his serious face returned. "Well, that's a given," he sighed. "But they have more than that. More than lust and passion. They have love." He lifted his hand again. It was soft and warm with long, thin fingers. The air stirred and for a moment Alec could smell cinnamon. God, did he love how Magnus smelled. His fingers cupped Alec's face and his thumb rubbed over Alec's bottom lip. "They have home."

And then he leaned forward and kissed Alec on the forehead. Michael and Isaac burst into glitter that whipped around the two of them and Alec knew his Magnus was gone.

The Magnus from the 1600's pulled back and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, hello."

Alec scowled at him. "Hi," he grumbled. "Do you know how many levels there are left?"

Old Thyme Magnus furrowed his eyebrows. "I know not what you mean."

He heaved a sigh. "Just get out of my way, Quaker Oat's. I have 400 years to get through and zero patience left."

Magnus shrugged and leaned back against the stake. The fire was dead and a dark hole sat where it had been. Alec slumped to the edge and dangled his foot over it. He turned back to look at Magnus one more time. The warlock was staring back at him, impassive if not confused. And yet he still felt like Alec's boyfriend.

He still felt like home.

Alec swallowed back the sudden irrational feeling to cry and beg Magnus to stop the game and stepped into the pit.

* * *

><p><em>Three apologies:<em>

_1) Sorry I haven't updated. End of school year, I'm in the senior grades, lots of work, blah blah blah._

_2) To my new Beta for not sending you this chapter. There is a plethora of reasons why I didn't send it to you, the main one being that I couldn't figure out to work DocX. _

_3) To everyone who read this, because I did not edit it very well. I have a sunburn and am not in the possesion of delicious Pizza Pringles. That is all the reason you need for that one._

_Thank you for reading, reviewing, and having erotic dreams about me!_

_-Cara_


	5. Came A Horseman

**Came A Horseman**

Beautiful music drifted through the air as Alec fell. At first it was ringing bells, replaced by a harpsichord, replaced by a violin, replaced by a piano. The piano appeared before him and suddenly he wasn't falling anymore. From that piano, a room grew. It was cavernous and ornate. There was a giant fireplace taking up one of the walls, exploding with giant blue flame. Magnus's flame. Alec found himself standing in the center aisle of fancy gold chairs, all filled with strange people in puffy clothes.

"The year is 1768."

Lightning flashed and thunder pounded outside the huge bay windows. The most crowd didn't even flinch. They were all unnaturally stiff, almost as though they were made of plaster. They weren't restless like humans were supposed to be. There was no foot tapping or yawning or rustling. They were completely still. He knew where he'd seen that before: vampires. Now that he was looking he couldn't help but notice other Downworlder's in the crowd - Warlocks and Fae and even one of those nasty

The piano hit a crescendo and Alec felt a hand on his wrist. He looked down and met eyes with a man. He had untidy black hair, cut under his chin, and big gleaming black eyes, like glass reflecting the night sky. There was something uncomfortable about his face. The man smiled and patted the seat beside him. Alec took it, jumping when the man made a grab at his butt as he sat down. Alec stiffened and stared at him in horror. The man winked in return and turned back to the piano player.

"The Pandimonium Club is before your time, but this was one of the first meetings. Lord Botchley's castle on the Scottish Isles. The point was to trick mundies wanting a taste of the Downworld out of all sorts of things. It wasn't really my thing, but you know how business works. You go where you need to go." The lull in the piano playing broke, gaining quick momentum. The windows shook and the rain pounded. The man's hand was a vice around Alec's wrist and Magnus's voice was a hazy whisper in his ears. He had to admit it; he was freaked out. "There were Downworlders excluded from the whole enterprise. As ridiculous as it sounds, the Pandimonium Club started as a sort of clique. The upper crust, the powerful - the old and rich and beautiful - they were all allowed in and everyone else was cast out. Even though it was a stupid pointless club, that really got under some people's skin. And you know what happens when Downworlder's have a vendetta: everyone pays."

It was only then that Alec realized the pounding wasn't just thunder - it was the sound of massive hooves clomping through giant arched corridors. Everyone seemed to swivel toward the giant wooden doors as one. Something hit them so hard that stone around it chipped and showered to the ground. The man screamed and grabbed Alec's arm.

"Magnus, what is it?" he gasped.

Alec made a face at him. "How the hell would I know?"

The hooves clipped backwards and then surged forward again. The doors shattered and the room scattered. Screeching vampires and pixies and warlocks shot towards the windows and drawing up portals on the walls, some even trying to slid out behind the giant black beast breathing fire onto the persian rug. They were swiftly caught on fire and sent shrieking to the cold stone floors.

A man sat on top of the beast, wearing a fine tailored coat and a silver gilded tophat over his long, curly hair. There were two holes cut through the top to let his horns out.

"The skin charred black and sky ablaze, upon it came a horseman," Magnus hissed in his ears, "the screams and shrieks, they reached their peeks, and lost are we to the Mighty Norseman."

Alec didn't even have the energy to point out that horseman and Norseman were weak rhymes. Besides, the horned tophat man was holding a wicked looking hammer that reminded Alec of the Norse gods, so he really wasn't one to complain. The man who had been holding Alec's wrist was hopping over chairs, a piece of chalk in his hands. His tail twitched from the back of his silk harem pants. Alec began to shout for him to come back, but it was too late. The giant black beast and the Norseman had already spotted him. They charged forward and Alec closed his eyes. There was a single scream and then nothing. The terror continued, but the nameless man was gone.

It was obvious that he'd meant something to Magnus. The sadness that washed over him was almost palpable. He opened his eyes and stumbled through the smoke and the broken chairs to the man's side. He was looking up at the ceiling with empty blue eyes. The screams died out and the air on the other side of the man shimmered. Magnus stepped out of the smoke and kneeled down. "His name was Godric," he said. "I loved him very much."

Alec supposed he should have felt jealous that Magnus had loved someone else before, but it didn't really matter. Godric was ancient history - another scar on Magnus's old soul. He touched Magnus's fingers gently and closed Godric's eyes with his free hand. The dead warlock turned to glitter and was swept up into the frozen bedlam. Alec wanted to say something to Magnus to try to make him feel better, but the past was the past and Alec knew that Magnus didn't think that anything that happened way back mattered in the present. Besides, Magnus was already talking.

"If Godric hadn't died, I don't think anyone would have made it out of here. Nothing else would have made me so angry."

A shadow fell over Magnus's face and stayed there. It wasn't often that Magnus wore a mask of fury, but when he did, you knew to get the hell out of his way. That same anger filled Alec up. It lit everything inside of him on fire. It made his eyes blur and his teeth gnash together. He hopped onto his feet, blue sparks running along his knuckles.

_"...you know what happens when Downworlder's have a vendetta: everyone pays."_

Alec put his hands together and made a sweeping motion, the power of it forcing him down onto one knee. Blue sparks ran through the air like lightning. The fire exploded in blue and then sputtered to death. An impossible wind split the smoke in half and pushed all of the chairs out of the way. Time sped up again. The room was pitch black and the screaming was twice as loud. Alec could smell the beast. It prickled against his skin. He didn't run to the horseman. No, he was feeling too Magnus-y. Alec strolled across the room, like he was a twenty foot tall giant. The power coursing through his veins made him feel that way. He was larger than life, louder than thunder, older than death could reach. Was that what it felt like to be Magnus? Maybe that was how he got away with wearing striped floral skinny jeans.

Alec lifted his hands and pushed, like he'd seen Magnus do a hundred times. It was a simple enough act, but the force that shot from it was almost enough to send him flying back through the walls. The beast the horseman had been riding squealed like a pig. A flash of lightning showed three long, black tongues lashing at the ceiling as it was torn to pieces by thin lines of blue magic. The demon was falling apart, returning to its original dimension. A moment later the room was plunged back into chaotic darkness.

Alec suddenly felt like taking a nap.

It was completely ridiculous, but all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and sleep. Alec knew exhaustion. He knew what it felt like to work his body until it felt like it was going to come apart at the seams. If he were to count all of the times he'd ran until he vomitted, he would need at least seven hands. What he felt wasn't exhaustion. It couldn't be pushed through. It couldn't be avoided. Sleep called to him like a siren, making everything go fuzzy and dark as the black clouded around his eyes.

o-O-o

Isabelle pounded at Magnus's door, hitting the buzzer over and over again. "MAGNUS BANE, YOU RAT-BASTARD, GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW." She slammed the door one more time with enough force to splinter the wood. Silence. She knew that somewhere in there, up those rickety stairs and down the hall, Magnus and her brother were hiding from her.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Magnus again. Nothing.

What if they went out? Isabelle paused for a breath, considering the possibility that Alec had felt guilty for spending all of his time locked up in his room and had taken Magnus out somewhere nice. But why hadn't he taken his good coat? Magnus hated that ratty old black one he was always hiding in. If they went out, Alec would have at least tried a little to make himself look nice.

A tickle at the back of her throat made Isabelle cough twice before she sneezed. She looked down. A pathetic looking flower was half crushed under her foot. The same crumbly yellow pollen was smeared across her palm and on the doorknob. A new hypothesis - Alec had realized he'd missed some important date and rushed out of the house, forgetting to put on his good coat (or even a coat at all). He knew Magnus liked flowers, but it was late and he was all but colour blind, so he would have bought some bedraggled, whimpy looking thing. He and Magnus would have either gotten into a fight over his epic fail of an internal schedule, or would have begun to make passionate love of on bearskin rug next to a roaring fireplace.

"AHH!" Isabelle shouted, slamming her palms into her eyes.

She did not need to imagine the second possibility. Of course, more pollen got into her eyes, which started to water. Bleary and sneezing, Isabelle hopped off of the stoop and stalked around the side of the warehouse to the next building. All she needed was... AHA!

A fire escape. Perfect.

o-O-o

Someone lifted Alec off of the floor. The ripped open the front of his shirt and pressed their dirty palms against his chest. Normally Alec would have objected, but he was too bust trying to stay awake. The hands were cold at first, but steadily grew warmer until they seemed to seer his flesh. That shocked him into the waking world pretty effectively.

There was a strange silver glow around the room, lighting the action perfectly. About twenty Downworlder's had survived the attack and all of them were making the attacker regret his parents being born. The Mighty Norseman was reduced to a shuddering pile of mush by a gang of sharp toothed pixies, zipping through the air like miniature fighter planes. Without his demon horse, there was really nothing the horned warlock could do against the onslaught of magic and fury.

"Are you fine now?"

Alec swivelled around and saw the last person he expected to - Camille Belcourt, covered in soot and still as beautiful as ever. Her normally hateful green eyes seemed... different. They were worried, brimming with thick red tears. She pulled a hanky from her sleeve and tapped them away. Alec nodded woodenly. In Magnus's memory she looked nothing like Alec remembered. Or maybe it wasn't just his memory. Maybe at one point she hadn't been so hard.

Or maybe she just had a soft spot for Magnus. God knew Alec did.

"I had a thing for vampires," Magnus said from no where. "Camille knew of me and I knew of her, but the interest was a minimum - at least in the beginning. I'd just lost someone, but Camille is Camille and once she set her sights on me, I was a goner."

Alec pulled away from Camille, feeling sick at the thought of his Magnus in her icy arms. He tried to stand up, but his legs were numb. Camille's hands made twin slapping noises as she pitched forward. Her skin looked grey. Alec knew what she had done immediately because he'd done it once before himself. All those months ago on an Aquatruck floating in the middle of the East River, he'd given Magnus power. Camille had done the same, but for no good reason. He didn't need to fight. The horseman was taken care of.

But Alec had forgotten that the Norseman horseman wasn't the only one who wanted the Pandimonium Club put out.

Chairs scrapped and a slumped young woman crawled out from the tangle of their burnt legs. She had long red feathers instead of hair, beady red eyes and a silver beak. Alec slid forward to offer her a hand. She swiped at him with talons, slicing his wrist. He swore and hopped back, putting pressure on the cut. The bird girl squawked and made another swipe at his throat. Alec tried to use Magnus's power. His fingers sparked weakly and then fizzled out. Damn it.

"Hey, hey stop!" Alec cried to no avail. He kicked a wildly tingling leg at her and made contact with her shoulder. "What are you _doing_?"

"One of the uninvited!" Camille hissed, but her voice was frail; unthreatening.

Alec swore and forced himself up. His legs screamed in pain. How long had he been out?

The bird girl hopped onto her feet (or at least Alec assumed she did, because he couldn't see anything under her big frilly dress) and squawked again. The sound was like metal grinding on metal. She dove at him, apparently expecting Alec to have qualms with hitting a woman.

He didn't.

Alec landed a solid kick to the bird girl's chest and she crumpled to the floor. Her body landed awkwardly on the splintered chairs and Alec watched with wide, horrified eyes as blood pooled at the front of her pale blue dress. Slowly, she slid down on the chairs until they poked through her chest, covered in gore. He covered his mouth with his hands, disgusted at what he had just done. White flashed before his eyes and three vampires swarmed the bird girl. Even though he wasn't looking, he could still hear what was happening. A minute later glitter drifted away from the chairs and got caught in the laces of his big, clunky boots.

The silvery light began rushing around until it spelled out Alec's score. He was starting to see a pattern in Magnus's life. People died around him all the time. What a sad way to live your life, surrounded by death and impending death. Alec stood there, feeling lost in a dark room. Everyone had gone, the noise painfully missing.

And then, of all things, a Lady Gaga song started playing. It was a piano rendition of Judas, picked out slowly and purposefully before gaining speed and skill. Alec climbed through the reckage and found Magnus sitting on the bench, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth. He looked very dapper, except for the over the top eyeliner and huge diamond earrings. And his frock was open, revealing a gracious V of honey skin.

"Do you know what this is?" Magnus asked.

Alec snorted. "Godga."

"Right! You're learning!" His finger placement changed and he started pounding out Bach with twice the skill Jace had ever showed. Of course, Magnus had had a lot more time to practice. "So, my holy little fool, are you ready to go further?"

Alec thought of saying no, and then he thought of saying yes. "How many more levels?"

"A couple," Magnus smiled. "I promise you that the next level is in the 1900's."

"You're skipping a whole century?"

Magnus shrugged and pulled his hands away from the keys. Without the sound, the room seemed eerily dead. "Believe it or not, time goes on outside this dreamworld. As much as I'd like to take you on a guided tour of all my memories, we need to be out of here before sunrise."

"What happens at sunrise?"

The warlock looked at Alec seriously, his eyelashes lowered. "The spell will be finalized and we'll both be trapped in here _forever_." When he said forever, he slammed the low notes so hard that Alec jumped. He tripped over a broken stool and barely caught himself.

Alec gasped. "Seriously?"

"No, I have a client at seven," Magnus said before laughing hysterically. "Come on, time is money." He stood up and pointed at the gaping black of the raised piano lid. "Hop in my instrument."

Alec sighed and started crawling into the piano. He paused for a second, looking back at the Magnus of 1768. Magnus stared back, looking so different and so similar. Alec decided not to think of it too much and kept on into the darkness.


End file.
